The Ghost
by Jordana Kari
Summary: What if Zuko had chosen not to hunt the avatar, and his uncle wasn't allowed to go with him. What if Katara had left the village in her self imposed banishment. What if they met in a town in the desert. AU. Zutara.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Prologue:

In this universe Zuko chose not to hunt the avatar and had to stay in a town that is in the middle of a huge desert. His Ghostly appearance is due to a combination of malnutrition and sitting very close to fires on cold desert nights (ashes). He is a self-taught fire-bending master with a unique style learned from Waterbenders, Earthbenders, and of course Firebenders.

In this universe Katara left Sokka and the village in the self imposed banishment that Aang talked her out of in the show.

Toph, pretty much the same as on the show, only there isn't any Sokka there.

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_"The people call what they think my name is, and they coo out soft word to try and tempt me. They genuinely think that I am a stupid animal," _Zuko thought to himself. There is a lot of loneliness in his heart, and there seems to be no cure for it. _"Would life be better for me now if I decided to hunt the Avatar?" _He wonders to himself.

"Ghost," a little girl calls out softly.

_"My name is Zuko!"_ He screams in his head.

Then Zuko leaves his perch on the roof of the local saloon.

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Mean while Katara Toph and Aang were heading towards the exact town that Zuko now lived in. They needed to stop for supplies since they didn't want to starve.

When the town came in sight it was midday. It was in the early afternoon when they finally landed, bought food, and found an Inn to stay in.

The Innkeeper welcomed them as they entered.

"Hello, how are our Honored guest this evening?" He asked pleasantly.

"Tired," Toph said gruffly.

"Well catch up on your sleep now, so you can be awake to search for the Ghost," he said smiling widely.

"The Ghost?" asked Aang.

"Well it isn't really a ghost. More like a crazy person who looks like a ghost," the Innkeeper assured. "You see we try to feed it food so it wont starve. It's quite noble actually."

"Crazy person?" Katara wondered aloud.

"Crazy like the innocent clueless kind of crazy," the Innkeeper reassured the group.

"Treating someone like an animal is very noble," Toph said sarcastically.

"It is not polite for a young girl to comment in such a manner," The Innkeeper said coldly.

"Yeah right. Like you would ever get me to be nice to a scumbag like you," Toph said bluntly.

They went up to their rooms leaving The Innkeeper steaming.

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Zuko looked around the back of shops for food. There was none. He placed his hand on an audibly grumbling stomach.

This night the butcher put out his scraps out for the ally cats. Of course they didn't get any of them, but Zuko did.

The Butcher sets out his food hours later. Zuko moved in on it, but he got there to soon.

"The Ghost!" screamed the Butcher. "I saw him! I saw the Ghost!"

Zuko quickly moved away from the scene. The Butcher was dancing with glee, so it was easy to sneak away.

A crowd started to gather at the scene.

"You saw him? They say that seeing a glimpse of him will bring you luck," and old Lady chimed in. "It will be either good luck or bad. I think it is base of your karma."

"Nobody has seen him in over a year," Another man from the crowd said.

"I actually saw him. He had ashy white hair and skin. His body was very thin and he was very fast," The butcher described.

"Yes, yes, yes. Please stop bragging," The old lady said.

"He seemed desperate for food. The scraps I put out were taken by him," He said pointing to his empty hands. With that said everyone in the town had turned to each other and began to plat ways to draw him out of hiding.

"He is hungry, but he hates you," Toph said. "I can feel his vibrations."

"Why would he hate me?" asked the Butcher sounding hurt.

"You talk about him like he is an animal," Toph answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"But, but he is…..but," The Butcher stuttered.

"He thinks like one and he acts like one. The boy depends on us," the Innkeeper said confidently.

"I think he knows that we are smarter than him, and he knows he needs us," a little boy named Lee said.

"That's right son," a woman named Seela said.

Toph just shook her head in exasperation.

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later

When the crowd had parted everyone was trying to tempt him out with food. With the exception of Toph, Katara, and Aang. They believed Toph.

The townspeople kept on calling and cooing for him for hours. The food in their hands began to grow old.

Katara was going berserk. There was calling every second of the night, and it wasn't very easy to sleep with. When she finally got fed up with it she marched to the nearest ally with some food in her hands.

"Hey Ghost, or whatever your name is!" Katara yelled. "I have real food here and you have to the count of five to get it. One… Two…three…"

Swish, and there he was. His hair was the dull color of ash. His clothes looked worn, old, and to loose for his willowy body. The only thing about him that wasn't ashy or faded was his beautiful goldenrod eyes. He looked longingly at the food.

"Are you going to give that food or not?" he asked after Katara was quiet for a long time.

"I will if you tell me your name," She answered.

He looked at her suspiciously and analyzed her clothing. "Who do you work for?" he asked rudely.

"I don't work for anyone, and why do you even need to ask that question?" she said.

"Never mind," he grumbled. "

"What is your name?" Katara repeated. This time she sounded irritated.

"Zuko," he said softly.

She gave him the food and decided to ask him another question. "Why did you come down for me and not anyone else?"

"You called to me like a human and not a stupid animal," Zuko answered.

"That's all it really takes," Katara asked.

"You like questions don't you?" Zuko countered.

"Just answer my question," she said impatiently.

"Pretty much, unless you tick me off. Then I don't come and you get a surprise that you probably wont want," He said. "Just like my butcher friend will get."

Suddenly Katara noticed the skin around his left eye was swollen and distorted.

"What happened to your eye?" she asked. Then he turns tail and runs.

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That is the first chapter of my second fan fiction if you don't count my one shot. I hope you like it. Yes, Lee and Seela are the people from Zuko alone.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Avatar the last Airbender.

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Zuko couldn't believe that she had the nerve to ask that question. Then because of his carelessness brought on his anger he ran into a small group of children. All of them were in between the ages of three and five.

"The Ghost!" all the children screamed loudly.

The children started to pelt him with biscuits in the mindset of feeding him before he ran away. To make it worse the people of the town started to crowd, and he couldn't get away before they got a good look at him. Zuko made a dash for a dark ally. Then he climbed the wall. To the people of the town it looked like Zuko vanished.

"Mommy were did he go?" a little boy asked with fear in his voice. "Is he really a ghost?"

"No dear he is just really fast," The mother answered. She didn't sound quite sure of herself.

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"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!" was the sound every one in heard.

Aang, Katara, and Toph were sitting on a porch in the front of the Inn. Katara and Toph were on a swing and Aang was on a chair next to them.

Then they saw the butcher running down the street with a mob of angry squirrel cats on his tail.

"That is what he meant by making someone 'regret' ticking him off," Katara laughed.

"Who is this he?" Aang asked enviously.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhh!" the butcher yelled while running the other way down the street passing the group again. The mob was still on his tail.

"The guy that they call the Ghost," Katara answered calmly.

"Did you do anything to tick him off," Toph asked.

"I might have crossed a personnel boundary with one of my questions," Katara said cautiously.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!" The butcher screamed running in the original direction down the street passing Aang, Katara, and Toph again. The mob was still on his tail.

The screaming abruptly ended when Toph bended a wall of earth into his path. Allowing the squirrel cats to drag him off.

"Will you knock me out with a wall of dirt?" Katara asked.

"Only if you scream a lot while you run away," Toph said smiling wickedly.

"Can I talk to him?" Aang asked excitedly.

"It's really up to him whether you can or not," Katara explained.

"Does the Ghost have a real name?" Toph asked.

"Yes he does," Katara said. Then she lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's Zuko."

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Zuko sat on top of a building where he watched the chaos that he created.

"That blind girl is really starting to get on my nerves," Zuko muttered to himself. He had heard her talking when the butcher had found him and he just saw her earthbend. "But seeing that was pretty funny."

Then he dashed off into the desert to practice some firebending moves.

Zuko took a stance that was usually used for waterbending. Then produced a long whip made out of gray-blue lightning. Then moved it around like a water whip. He made a sudden jab causing the lightning to fan out perfectly in all directions.

After that he decided to take a break from the usual advanced moves and just began to send a shower of fireballs towards any random target. Zuko took a horse stance for a difficult move, but then he saw something in the bushes. It was Lee.

"Hey you there!" Zuko called out.

Then Lee bolted. Zuko followed him and chased him into a corner.

"You're a firebender," Lee accused.

"Yes. Yes I am," Zuko said panting every word. He doesn't have a lot of strength or stamina due to the fact that he can't get a decent meal.

"You can speak," Lee stated with shock plain in his voice.

"Yes. Please don't tell anyone about this," Zuko pleaded.

"I do not listen too firebenders!" Lee shouted angrily.

10 minutes later.

"I saw the Ghost!" Lee screamed into the air. He was standing in the middle of the town's main street.

Everyone dropped what he or she were doing and crowded around Lee. Katara, Toph and Aang came running out of the Inn and joined the crowd.

"What did you see?" asked Seela Lee's mother.

"I saw the ghost, and was firebending," Lee told the crowd. "He spoke to me. He can really talk."

"Son that is not possible," Seela said soothingly.

"The Ghost is a firebender, and he's smart like us," he insisted.

Everyone laughed at that statement. Well everyone but Toph Aang and Katara. The trio broke off from the group and met in their Room in the Inn.

"Do you really think he is a firebender?" Aang asked hopefully.

"The kid was right about his intelligence," Toph pointed out.

"I will try to talk to him. Aang need a firebending teacher. Zuko may be it," Katara said. "But we have to keep in mind that he might not be a master. He might even be awful."

"If he is he's better nothing," Toph said.

"We cant choose someone because they're better than nothing," Katara scolded. "We have to choose the right person from the start."

"Katara is right," Aang said.

"You always choose her side," Toph accused.

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The entire town was a mess. They were completely thrown by Lee's message. No matter how much they denied it they were.

"He's harmless", "His mission is to kill us all", and "he is a spy for the fire lord" were some of the less extreme rumors going around. The more extreme rumors involved soul stealing, evil spirits, and the undead. Toph spread most of those rumors.

"This is the most fun I have had in forever," Toph said grinning like and ape. She sat reclined in a chair with her feet resting on a footstool.

"Why are you doing this?" Katara asked in an annoyed tone.

"I lived most of my life without really having a life, and you are going to deny me a little fun?" Toph asked.

"If by fun you mean ruining our chances at getting Aang a firebending teacher? Then yes," Katara said while rubbing the bridge of her nose. Of course that started a catfight.

"Hey it's that Lee kid. Maybe we can ask him some questions," Aang said. He was pointing to Lee who was standing in the middle of the street.

"Good idea twinkle toes," Toph said to Aang. Suddenly Lee was waist deep in solid ground. The group walked up to the trapped boy and stared at him.

"What did I do?" He asked.

"You didn't tell the Avatar exactly what you saw," Toph said accusingly.

Katara decided to do some damage control. "Sorry about Toph; she doesn't get out much. Can you tell us exactly what you saw?" Katara asked nicely.

"I saw him bend lightning. Then I saw him send fireballs everywhere. The figure he used where really weird. I had seen then before but they were used in different types of bending," Lee recalled. "Then he spotted me."

"Thanks that is all we needed to know," Aang said. Then he ran off leaving a very confused boy waist deep in the ground. Toph let him out and followed Aang.

"Is lightning good?" Katara asked.

"Lightning is very good," Aang answered.

"Then we found your teacher," Katara said with a smile.

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"Hello Zuko. I'm sorry I made you angry," Katara called out. She was in the same place as the first time she met him.

There was a sound in the shadows. Then Zuko stepped out of the nearest one.

"What do you want?" Zuko demanded to know.

"I want you to teach the Avatar firebending," Katara said to him.

"Will I have to fight the Fire Lord?" Zuko asked.

"Yes," She answered.

"Then no," Zuko said.

"Why?" she asked him.

"I have my own reasons," Zuko explained.

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Did you really think that I would have him join just like that? Here are answers to questions I commonly get or have just been asked.

Zuko does have his scar. The reason he hides is because he became a traitor when he said no to hunting the Avatar. Walking around in the town would bring the Fire nation there to catch him.

Thanks to ginsensu, Dragon Jadefire, and Nynke for reviewing.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

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Aang Katara and Toph sat on a bench on the edge of town watching the sunset. Well Toph just sat.

"He just said no?" Aang asked.

"Just like that," Katara answered.

"Looks like fire boy has some nerve," Toph said with a wide grin.

"Did he say anything else?" Aang asked.

"He said he had his own reasons," Katara said. "It looked like he would almost take the job if he didn't have to fight the Fire Lord."

"You just had to tell him didn't you?" Toph asked her.

"Yes. Yes I did," Katara said shortly.

Then Lee saw them and ran up to them. He looked very eager.

"What did you do to the firebender?" He asked eagerly.

"We asked him to teach the Avatar firebending," Toph said calmly.

Lees jaw dropped and he looked a little angry. "What was his answer?"

"No," Toph said.

"Did you do something bad to him?" Lee asked; his eagerness was back again.

"Nothing it was his decision," Toph answered evenly. "We have no right to punish him for it."

Disbelief etched Lee's face. He turned around and walked away. A ridiculous grin appeared on Toph's face as soon as the boy couldn't see it.

"Why did you have too do that to him?" Aang asked.

"There is nothing to do in this boring town," Toph said in an obnoxious tone.

"Why are you acting like this?" Aang asked.

"None of your business Twinkle Toes," She said shortly.

Katara was starting to get worried about those two.

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Zuko was sitting very near a small fire. Since it was the early morning and it was just starting too warm up. It got very cold in the desert at night. He thought about her offer. Then he reminded himself of what he was, and how she would hate him if she found out. Just like everyone else did when they found out.

"Why am I putting myself through this?" Zuko screamed too himself.

The Flame crackled and bad memory reared its ugly head.

_"Zuko you realize that by not choosing you have marked yourself as a traitor," His Father spat in his face._

_"Father isn't there some other I can provide for our nation?" Zuko pleaded desperately. His face had a bandage on it. I had only been a week since the Agni Kai_

_"You have chosen cowardice and weakness. A boy who chooses that can never serve the Fire Nation._

_"I will assist my nephew in whatever path he chooses," Iroh said boldly._

_"As Fire Lord I forbid you to help him," Ozai commanded coldly. "Zuko will be deported to the Earth Kingdom."_

_"Father please!" Zuko cried out. _

_"There is no other option. You will be deported to the Earth Kingdom, and if any of our solders catch you will be severely punished," Ozai yelled at Zuko who was trembling like a leaf. "If you set foot on fire Nation soil again you will be killed. _

_The Fire Lord turned around and Zuko was dragged away by two solders. _

Zuko's face furrowed with anger at the memory of that day. After that day Zuko had no one to lean on. That meant he had to face the cold hard truth on his own. During the first few months he had been an emotional wreck. Contemplating suicide was not uncommon during that time, but he never did it. Zuko chose strength. He had taken the high road.

Then he remembered his first day in this town.

_He stood right in front of the town. The bandages that were once whit were now a dirty yellow. The clothing Zuko wore was torn and faded. They were fire nation and they still looked enough like it to get him in trouble._

_Then he saw a man throw away some white clothing. When nobody was watching Zuko lunged for the clothing and found a private place to change. _

_When the sun had set Zuko started to explore the town. He noticed a barrel full of water and gazed into it. It was like mirror. Zuko slowly unwrapped the bandages around his face. That was the first time he saw his scar. _

Zuko cringed at the memory of that day. The only reason he stayed was it had the only reliable source of water around. The spring in the middle of this town flowed eternally, but the water was dirty and brown.

Then a pair of travelers came close enough too see him so Zuko moved to a different spot.

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"So lets go over the plan again. We feed him until he is healthy and strong. Just in case that is the problem. Then we record any conversations with him down in this journal," Aang said holding up a paperback journal.

"What should I ask him about?" Katara asked Aang.

"I want to speak to him face to face," Aang said with anger and jealousy in his voice.

"Okay," Katara said mystified the way Aang was speaking.

Toph took him aside and pushed him down into a chair.

"Look Twinkle Toes if you aren't going to make your move you can't keep her away from other guys," Toph told him.

"It's just so hard. What if she doesn't like me like that?" Aang asked. "Why did you pull me aside to tell me this? I thought that you would blurt it out."

"None of you business," Toph snapped.

Aang backed off and went to Appa mope. Even though the back of the Inn wasn't pretty someone who would listen was there. Toph went back by Katara.

"What did you say to him?" Katara asked with concern.

"The truth," Toph answered bluntly.

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"Are sure you still want to talk to Zuko?" Katara asked Aang.

"I have to find a firebending teacher," Aang said in a flat tone. Then a small grin cracked on his face. "Besides who could be better at speaking to the local ghost than the Avatar."

With that he walked out the door and into the ally.

"Hello I am a friend of that girl you talk to," Aang called out. "I have some food for you here. It's hot fresh meat."

When Zuko heard the words hot fresh meat he couldn't move fast enough.

"I didn't think that you were that hungry," Aang commented.

"All I have eaten for two and a half years is butcher scraps, the parts they cut off vegetables, and the occasional rat," Zuko explained to him.

"Then here," Aang said holding out the meat like it would bite him. Zuko snatched it from his hands and ate ravenously.

"What status were you born at?" Aang asked while slowly backing away from Zuko.

"How do you know about status?" Zuko grilled. He drew himself up to his full height. "I was born at a very high level."

"I'm the Avatar. I saw the Fire Nation before the war even started. You can tell me who you are I wont judge you," Aang said softly.

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Mwahahahahahaha. A cliffhanger. No I do not take medication and I do not need it either. Sorry for taking so long to update. Thanks to all reviewers. I appreciate the support.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Avatar the last Airbender.

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"On the condition that you don't tell any one. Not even your friends," Zuko said. He was still glaring fiercely at Aang.

"I swear that I will not tell anyone. Not even my friends," Aang promised.

"Very well," Zuko said. His voice lowered to a whisper. "I am the Fire Lords son."

Aang eyes widened with shock. "Is that why you refuse to fight the Fire Lord, because he's your father?"

"Even though he is the reason I'm in this miserable pit of a town I still care about him," Zuko said bitterly. "There is no way of changing that."

"I understand and I wont tell anyone about this," Aang reassured. Pity was plain in his voice.

"Pity is useless to me," Zuko snapped at Aang.

"Okay," said a freaked out Aang. After that they both went in their separate direction. Aang to went to the Inn. Zuko went to where ever he would sleep tonight.

When Aang was back in the Inn he was greeted by an onslaught of questions from Katara and Toph.

"Did you get him to spill the beans?" Toph asked.

"Yes," Aang answered.

"Well? Why wont he teach you firebending?" Katara asked.

"I promised him I wouldn't tell anyone," Aang answered softly.

"Is there any way that can change?" Toph asked.

"No," he answered.

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Morning

Zuko sat at the edge of the most deserted part of town. He was thinking about his uncle. How he wanted to help him and how he risked his neck to save him.

"Why do I keep on getting caught this week?" He asked himself. "I go from being the elusive ghost to the local loony."

Just as he finished that sentence Lee stormed up to him.

"What are you doing in my town?" Lee demanded to know.

"Hiding from the Fire Nation," Zuko answered honestly.

"Huh? Aren't you from the Fire Nation?" Lee asked.

"Yes. The Fire Lord branded me a traitor because of my views," Zuko explained. "Or at least expressing my views."

Lee took a seat near Zuko. "What are your views exactly?" Lee asked curiously.

"That the solders of the fire nation are people and not just trained pieces of meat," Zuko explained. The way he said it made Lee think that he was defending the people of the Fire Nation.

"The Fire Lord brands people as traitors just for that?" Lee wondered. "And is the image of you standing on a street corner holding a sign in loose dirty clothing right."

"No and **no**," answered Zuko. A small smile graced his lips.

"What got you in so much trouble?" Lee asked him directly.

"I refused to do something for the Fire Lord. I refused my punishment," Zuko explained.

"What was your punishment?" Lee asked curiously.

"Hunting the Avatar," Zuko mumbled.

Lee's eyes flew open and his jaw dropped. "Was it the fire Lord himself who asked you to do that or was it just some guy who worked for him?" He asked.

"I have stayed in this area to long and I have to move," Zuko said. Lee was getting to close to his identity for comfort.

"Can I go with you?" Lee said excitedly. He was very eager to find out more.

"No," Zuko said emotionlessly.

"Oh can I talk to you later?"

"Maybe if you can find me," Zuko said playfully. He knew what little he had gained with lee was a good thing and Zuko wanted to keep it that way. He reminded him of himself in many ways.

Lee liked Zuko, but he didn't trust him. He never would until he knew the whole truth about him.

Lee walked away and to his farm. He saw his mother feeding the cowpigs and he walked up to her.

"Mom I met the ghost again today, and I talked to him," Lee told his mother. She immediately dropped the bag of food and put her hand on her son's forehead.

"Come on sweetie you will get some food and water. Then you will feel better," Seela said.

"I am not delusional," Lee insisted.

"House now," Seela commanded.

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Katara, Aang, and Toph were walking around the town.

"I have an Idea we could ask Aang yes or no questions about Zuko and we piece the answer together," Toph shouted suddenly causing everyone in the area to jump. "Did he protest a lot?"

"No," Aang answered unsteadily.

"Was he poor?" Katara joined in.

"Katara are you getting all of this down?" Toph said.

"Yep," Katara said reaching for a pen and paper. "Is he important?"

"Yes," Aang answered. "Let's stop now."

"Whatever twinkle toes," Toph said. "I'm hungry Mr. I am the Avatar so everything is free.'"

"Okay I'll get us something. Doe you want anything Katara?" Aang offered.

"No. You two go ahead," Katara said. A plotting smile appeared on her lips. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Maybe the two lovebirds will work things out."

When Katara was gone Aang turned to Toph.

"What do you want to eat?" Aang asked awkwardly.

"Any food that is decent in this town," Toph answered.

"I hear that place is over there is good," Aang said. He pointed to a run down restaurant that looked like it was pathetic when it was new.

"Whatever," Toph said in a bored tone.

10 minutes later

"Bleck!" Toph spat. "This is the worst thing I ever put in my mouth. That's including the dirt I ate when I was three."

"What do you mean you don't have any meat free food!" Aang yelled at a very rude waiter who had been insulting him for the last three minutes.

"Well excuse me only freak in the town who doesn't eat meat I can't help that you're a loser," The waiter said snidely.

Aang and Toph were sitting in small very uncomfortable chairs with a small stained table in between them.

"I want a refund for these dogpig mounds you call food!" Toph yelled.

"Well to bad blindy," The waiter said. "There aint any refunds."

The waiter didn't know what hit him. All he knew was that there was a giant gaping hole in the restaurants wall, he was suddenly on the other side of the street, and boy was he hurting! Toph was grinning ear to ear with satisfaction and victory.

"Nice one Toph," Aang said while barley holding back laughter.

"You two get out!" The manager roared. He was coming straight towards them. Which would have been intimidating if it didn't look so ridiculous. He looked as bad as the place he ran. He was incredibly fat, he was oily and grimy, and he was hairy.

"Either he is actually made of fat or he has had way too many cakes," Toph joked. That got he manager even angrier.

He grabbed the pair by the collar and tossed them out of the hole Toph had created. Both of them broke down into hysterical laughter right on the street. Then Katara came back.

"What happened here?" Katara asked in harsh motherly tone.

"A waiter called Toph blindy," Aang explained sheepishly.

"That was stupid of him," Katara commented. "Come on we need to find out more bout Zuko."

Aang groaned.

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Thank you all the kind patent people who waited for this. How was that for Toph and Aang's first date? How many true loves have been brought together through a first crappy date? I'm betting a lot. Thank you to every one who reviewed .


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Avatar the last Airbender.

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"How was your date otherwise…oops," Katara stumbled.

"Date!" Toph and Aang yelled in unison.

"You set us up," Toph accused, but she didn't sound as angry as she could have been.

"Lets get off this subject, so is Zuko important?" Katara asked desperately trying to change the subject.

"I think you're in love with the Ghost!" Aang accused. Now he did sound as angry as could get. He seemed about ten seconds away from entering the Avatar state.

Katara didn't defend herself against Aangs accusations.

"Aaagh!" Aang growled. Five seconds. "Come back in one hour and if I still feel this way you may get me tell the whole truth about the Ghost. You wont be in love with when you know who he really is." Aang stomped away from the scene.

Zuko had watched the entire scene from the rooftops, and as soon as Aang took a shortcut down a dark ally Zuko swooped down. He placed his hand over Aangs mouth to keep him quiet.

"Just because you have girl issues doesn't mean that you blurt out my secret," Zuko hissed into Aangs ear.

"Mmmphhh," Aang responded. Zuko lifted his hand. "Sorry, It just that I think she's in love with you and like her so much."

"Have you tried to tell her how you feel?" Zuko groaned. He really didn't want to deal with this right now.

"No," Aang admitted.

"Then you can't stop her from falling in love with some other guy," Zuko told him shortly.

"Do you realize that you are the second person to say that to me this week?" Aang asked him.

"Yes," Zuko answered. "Wasn't it that blind girl that told you first?"

"You've been watching us?" Aang asked in shock.

"Hey, the only highlight of my day before you guys came along was racing ally animals for food scraps," Zuko said defensively. "Now the highlight is seeing what kind of trouble you guys will get into next."

"My friends and I are entertainment to you and you refuse the constant entertainment of living and traveling with us. That makes no sense," Aang told Zuko.

"I do that to everyone so just be grateful that I am telling you this," Zuko said.

"By the way how did you get those squirrel cats to attack the butcher?" Aang asked.

"If you leave a litter in a bag overnight they tend to attack the first person they see," Zuko explained. Aang looked horrified. "I leave food in the bag fort them and if they're from the same litter they don't fight. Plus I always use a big bag, so it's perfectly humane. Those things just get very angry."

"Oh," Aang said in a relived tone.

"Are you going to keep your mouth shut?" Zuko asked him his voice suddenly very harsh.

"No," Aang answered. His voice was laden with guilt.

"Good," Zuko said then he relaxed.

Aang walked back out into the streets and was met by the staring eyes of the townsfolk.

"What are you looking at?" Aang asked innocently.

They remembered Aangs previous outburst so they just went along with their business. Then he heard a very quiet and barely audible laugh come from Zuko. Then Zuko regained his serious composure.

Katara walked up to Aang very cautiously.

"You don't have to do that. Zuko talked some sense into me," Aang said softly.

Katara seemed glad that Aang felt better, but deep down she was saying "Oh snap!"

The disappointment must have showed on her face at some time because Aang saw it.

"Don't act so disappointed," Aang said angrily.

"Aang I care about you and I hate seeing you so upset," Katara said genuinely.

Toph stormed up to those two and screamed. "Buzz of you two. Katara, Aang is right. Aang you know what I have to say."

"I will talk to Zuko tonight," Katara offered out of the blue.

"I don't thinks it's a good idea to leave you two alone so I will go," Aang said to Katara.

"I will go since both of you are probably going to argue about this until your faces turn blue," Toph said. "You two are too much like brother and sister for your own good."

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Aang and Katara were still sour about their discussion when evening rolled around.

"Remember Toph he is fast and gets angry very quickly when you treat like he isn't human," Katara fussed over Toph.

"And he will come to you faster if you have fresh meat," Aang put in. Toph and Katara just stared at him. "He hasn't had any in a long time, so it's kind of a delicacy to him since he is living on the streets."

"Why do I need to know this stuff anyway?" Toph asked both of them.

"Just go out there," Katara said and she finished off with a playful shove out the door.

Toph walked out of the door and into the ally where they aways met him.

"Hey Ghosty, I have some fresh hot meat for you here," Toph called out in any general direction.

Zuko jumped down from a tall building and into the ally.

"All the food we've given you has made you stronger," Toph thought aloud.

"Yes it has. Not eating anything decent for a few years can make you a little weak," Zuko commented.

"I also 'see' that your muscles are actually getting fuller, but the ropiness was probably because of the food you had to eat," Toph said.

"Yep, so are you going to give me that food?" Zuko asked pointing towards the food in her hand.

"In exchange for some information, like your name, your parentage, and why you refuse to teach Aang," Toph said to Zuko.

"Zuko, classified and classified," Zuko answered.

"Not so fast. You have to give me the name of at least one of your parents," Toph demanded.

Zuko thought very hard about how he should answer this question.

"My mothers name is Ursa," Zuko said softly.

Toph tossed him the food.

"Thank you," Zuko said to Toph.

"Why are you so secretive about your identity?" Toph asked.

"No one would treat me the same way if they did know. In fact I would probably be run out of town if anyone knew," Zuko said bitterly. "By the way I like what you did to the butcher."

"I like how you got revenge on him, but I wouldn't have been nearly as subtle as you were," Toph responded.

"How is setting a mob of squirrelcats on him subtle?" Zuko asked while slowly backing away.

"There is so much you have yet to learn," Toph said in a sifu like manner. "By the way is there anything you would like in your next meal?"

"I would like a little more fruit please," Zuko said cautiously.

Toph just shrugged and walked back into the Inn.

"He doesn't want anymore fruit," Toph said to Katara as she walked into the room she and Katara shared. Katara just blinked in return.

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"Let me get this straight. Zuko wants more meat and less fruit," Aang repeated.

Zuko watched Toph and Aang as they talked and walked right past the restaurant they had trashed.

"Are you still angry at Katara for setting us up?" Toph asked.

"Yes," Aang mumbled.

"I think you're mad at her because she thought that someone other than herself was romantically compatible with you," Toph said.

"I guess you're right," Aang sighed. "I am going to tell Katara how I feel."

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Sorry for the long wait. I had a bad case of writers block, and I wanted to celebrate the season premier so I trudged through it to create this chapter.

Thank you Rzz, AlinaAlone, fun fun time, FireChildSlytherin5, and ginsensu for reviewing.

Please review. Those who do get a fun fact about this fanfic, unless you don't want it then just say that you don't.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

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Aang's heart raced as he walked up to Katara. She was dealing with the only fruit merchant in town about his prices.

"Katara can I talk to you?" Aang stuttered.

"Sure, Aang," Katara answered with concern. She had never seen Aang act this way around her before.

"Well you see… the reason I was so upset about Zuko… is well," Aang struggled. Then he sighed. "Katara, I like you, I like you much more than as a friend."

Katara just blinked dumbly in return.

"Aang, I care about you, but not like that," Katara finally spoke. The gentleness in her voice was almost as hurtful to Aang as the rejection.

"Oh," Aang sounded flat as his heart broke. After that he just got up and walked away from the sad scene.

Toph walked up to Katara. Katara turned to face her.

"Tell him how you feel," Katara said firmly yet gently. "But I would wait a little while for him to heal."

"You don't know how I feel," Toph snarled.

"I may not be as good at reading things as you are, but I am not stupid," Katara told Toph sternly. There was iciness in her voice.

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Aang walked into a dark ally.

"You can have her," Aang admitted defeat. "She doesn't feel the same way."

Zuko hopped down from a one-story building. A few planks from the roof followed him on his trip down. Each one hit Zuko on the head.

"I never was competing for her," Zuko corrected calmly. "I am surprised you thought I was."

"I didn't think that you were competing against me, but I thought that I had to compete against you," Aang explained to himself more than Zuko.

"You think that she is in love with me?" Zuko asked just to be sure.

"Yes," Aang answered sadly. Zukos first reaction was to blink stupidly much like how Katara did.

"That was unexpected," Zuko thought to himself.

"Do you think she is," Aang asked hopefully. He saw a ray of hope come through the storm clouds.

"I haven't really been looking for that kind of stuff," Zuko pointed out.

"Well, I don't know if you should've been watching," Aang admitted.

"Just out of curiosity, what did the blind girl tell you?" Zuko asked nervously. "She asked me if I wanted anything in my next meal and that girl seems like the last person to do that kind of thing."

"She told us to hold the fruit," Aang shrugged.

"My answer was more fruit," Zuko mumbled.

"That does not surprise me," Aang thought aloud.

"I would be a little nicer to her if I were you," Zuko reminded Aang.

"Why? Am I being mean to Toph?" Aang asked cluelessly. Zuko sighed and rubbed his temples.

"If you teach me firebending, can you teach me lightning as well?" Aang asked.

"I don't think that I would be the best person to teach you lightning," Zuko confessed. "I have only been able to do that for three months and I have a much harder time than I should."

"Well it's like this… hey! How did you know about that?!" Zuko demanded.

"You should really find more secure place to practice," Aang advised. "It was really easy to find you. You didn't answer my question."

"It's much easier to guide lightning with that deal with the flow of energy," Zuko explained.

"You would still be able to teach me firebending wouldn't you?" Aang asked.

"Yes, I would," Zuko said modestly. "But that doesn't mean I will though."

"You don't seem like the kind of guy who would remain loyal to someone who did this to you," Aang speculated. "Is there another reason?"

"I could never fight my uncle," Zuko let out.

"Could you get him to join our side?" Aang asked hopefully.

Zuko thought back to the times when his uncle offered to go into banishment with him. Then he remembered the conversation afterwards.

_"I will not hunt the Avatar, Uncle," Zuko insisted as Iroh walked through his door._

_"I just wanted to say that I am proud of you," Iroh told Zuko as he hugged him closely, carefully avoiding the still tender burned flesh on his face. _

_Zuko gaped at his uncle. This was truly the last thing he had expected. _

_"Thank you," Zuko stuttered out as his uncle walked out the door. _

"I think that it is very possible," Zuko answered softly.

"Great," Aang cheered and charged Zuko with a running hug. "Does that mean you'll teach me?"

"I guess," Zuko answered doubtfully.

"Is it okay to tell my friends then?" Aang asked him.

"Are they angry at the Fire Nation?" Zuko questioned.

"Toph won't really care. Katara, she will be very uncomfortable with that but she will get over it," Aang listed. "Can I tell them tonight?"

Zuko nodded his approval.

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"Guys, I have to tell you-" Aang announced.

"It isn't that hard to guess, since you called a meeting," Toph pointed out crudely.

"What is it Aang?" Katara supported.

"Well Zuko is okay with me telling you his identity, and I got him to agree to teach me," Aang told them. With that everyone both girls suddenly perked up.

"Great!" Katara cheered.

"I didn't know you had it in you Twinkle Toes," Toph congratulated.

"Thanks," Aang blushed.

"Well who is he?" Katara questioned.

"You know Fire Lord Ozai . . . well, he is Ozai's son," Aang explained. Only the sound of crickets was heard.

"Bad joke," Toph broke the silence. "Now who is he?"

"I was telling the truth," Aang said flatly.

Silence enveloped the room again, but not even crickets were heard this time.

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_Lets all thank The Cookie thief for checking this, and no she is not to balme for it. I take full responsibility for this. She only took one day to check it._

_Thank you all reviewers. I really hope you like this chapter. I have a good excuse behind the impossible wait. They're called MEAPs. I took the English meap and it drained me of all my creative energy. _


	7. Chapter 7

"How can he possibly be the son of that monster?" Katara wondered aloud.

"Well, when a man loves a woman very much..." Toph began. Katara let out an indignant squeak which may have been involuntary.

"All this time I thought he was wimpy, when he actually lived with that bunch," Toph said to get a conversation going. "You have to be strong to live past five in that place."

"One thing that bothers me is, well, one thing that bothers me the most is..." Katara started, clearly trying to change the subject. Then Aang came in.

"He was afraid you guys would have a problem with his family," Aang interrupted.

"The one thing that bothers me the most is his hygiene," Katara finished while trying to get away from the subject. "I like him as a person, but he doesn't take care of himself."

"I think he's homeless," Aang defended.

"That would explain a lot," Toph put in. "He smells like burned B.O and ashes."

"We will have to talk to him about that," Katara noted.

"I think the best thing we can do right now is offer him a bath," Aang suggested, he seemed very nervous. Who really knew if he watching?

"You never know," Toph said a moment before a half rotten tomato greeted her face.

"What was that?" Katara asked as she stared at the tomato seeds dripping off Toph's face.

"We are the most entertaining thing in the village," Aang explained while rubbing his back with stress. "So he tends to watch us."

"You could have warned me twinkle toes," Toph accused. "I can't see Zuko when he's on top of buildings."

Another tomato found its way to her face.

"What did I do now?" Toph screamed at the top of her lungs.

"You were being a little mean," Aang grumbled in return. "Or he could enjoy throwing tomato's at you."

"I don't think he like the way we talked about him either," Katara commented through clenched teeth. Then a pang of sadness washed over her. She hadn't realized how much she missed her brother until now-when he would have gotten nailed by tomatos. Tears threatened to fall down her face.

"Are you O.K.?" Toph asked quietly.

"I will be," Katara choked out softly. She kept quiet as she walked out of area and into her room.

"Why is she acting like this?" Toph wondered aloud.

"She left her brother and her entire tribe, which is so close they might as well be a real family, so she could come with me," Aang answered hopefully.

"Why hasn't she had a breakdown before?" Toph asked Aang.

"She usually has a very good hold over herself," Aang said almost wistfully.

"She's never going to fall for you," Toph said bluntly. "The best thing to do right now is move on."

"You say that like its easy," Aang sighed.

"It won't be," Toph corrected. "I know that for sure."

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Katara sat in the same place she had when the butcher had gotten nailed by the cute little animals she didn't care to remember. Her puffy red eye's were visible in the desert night.

A few second after Katara's first sob on the swing Zuko swooped down.

"Go away!" She screamed, and he did. Katara turned around to glare at Zuko but stopped when she saw his face. It had a guarded look of hurt on his face.

"I just can't talk to anyone right now," Katara apologized.

"I know the feeling," Zuko said as he walked away calmly.

"Maybe you don't!" she screamed at him. Zuko started to back away from her slowly. "Sorry, it's just going to take a while to feel safe around you."

"That's why I never wanted to tell you," Zuko sighed. With that said he went away, and there on the roof tops he saw something from his nightmares. A small fire nation army was coming this way. Zuko swooped down into Aangs room.

"There is an army coming this way," Zuko said so fast that the words seemed to melt together. "And it's after me or you. I don't like it either way."

"Guys? We have to get our stuff packed," Aang announced nervously.

"They're at least four miles away," Zuko said reassuringly.

"Then we have enough time to give you a bath," Toph remarked while holding her nose.

"I'll get Katara!" Aang cheered-which only made Zuko feel worse.

"Something tells me this isn't going to be private," Zuko groaned.

ruler here

"Katara! We are gong to clean Zuko up!" Aang cheered as soon as he saw her.

"I'll separate the water from that well sludge," Katara called out. Toph dragged Zuko out into the streets and created a basin in the middle of the street, all the while he was protesting.

"We shouldn't be wasting time on this! We should be charging the army already!"

Katara ignored him as she separated water from sludge. Most sane people would wonder how the villager hadn't died of the water they had to drink.

Of course everyone in town had now become a spectator to what would be one of the most embarrassing moments in Zuko's life.

"It's the Ghost."

"Looks like their teaching him how to bathe."

"They should teach that blind girl how to bathe."

These were the more sensible murmurs coming from the crowd. Unfortunately some of Toph's followers were still active.

"Where is his horde of angry spirits?"

"Will the water wash away his skin?"

"You might want to keep your underwear on," Aang suggested. He didn't seem to notice the 'No duh genius' glare Zuko was giving him.

Zuko, embarrassed and disgruntled, refused to strip down to his underwear in the middle of a crowded street. And Zuko was also sure that the powerful smell of three years of grime and not being able to change his underwear in five months would have killed half the population of the town if suddenly unleashed. No, it was best to do this in a confined space so that he was the only one who suffered the first wave of stench.

As he turned around in search of a confined space that allowed privacy the town and the Avatar started talking. A man who reeked of politician approached Aang. He had a well pressed, boring colored, suit like thing that caused one to wonder where his handlebar mustache was.

"So, Mr. Avatar_"

"Aang."

"Mr. Avatar, I was wondering what you are going to do about this town once you are in control of the world."

"I don't want to control the world, it's that fire nation that does."

"Yes, but once you free this town how will you help it?"

"Um…it isn't under fire nation control…"

"What will you do to make this town love you?" He sputtered angrily. "You have to support me in the running for mayor! Otherwise this town will forget you!"

Aang started to back away slowly. Unstable politicians are very bad to be around; they might just catch you in their web of false campaign promises.

Zuko came out just in the nick of time, he was a sight to behold, and not the hot and unbelievably attractive sight that he should be. He still looked malnourished. His muscles were a little too thin and ropey, his ribs showed, and no one even dared to gaze at his tattered old boxers.

The poor man looked as embarrassed as a man could if he was standing out in public with all eyes upon him and was in his underwear only. If you looked carefully at his old clothing you could see that it wasn't just an ashy splotchy gray, but it had a rose tint to it. This may have been one of the reasons he never graced the public with his presence before, after all, no man wants to be seen in pink. But it is suicidal to turn up in an all red outfit. So his reasoning for not showing his face for three years is logical.

"Jump in skinny," Toph called out. Zuko looked around to see that Katara had a set of clothing ready for him to change into.

He reluctantly climbed into the makeshift bath. It was simple basin; Toph had the sense to pack the dirt into some form of rock so it wouldn't turn into a mud bath.

He was handed some soap that contained mostly dried up plant roots, there was no lye in the mixture to be smelled.

The moment he started washing most people noticed a drastic difference. He washed his hand first, and Zuko observed what he had almost forgotten, the color of his skin. It was a soft and creamy pink, he had no doubt that the pink would fade into another color the moment his skin dried.

His body was transformed from a pale and almost dead looking thing that resembled a corps, to a human being. He scar became a startling scarlet, and in contrast with his skin there was almost an unnatural beauty to something that should have been so ugly. His hair, while wet, was a sleek jet black.

He held his hand out for a towel; a towel was then handed to him by a shocked citizen of the town.

He wrapped his torso the moment in came out the ashy and soapy water; he walked toward Katara, and held his hand out for the clothing. She gave it to him with an apologetic look.

"We can get out of here quickly after this," She consoled.

He nodded with tone of thanks and left with his clothing, no doubt retreating to the place where he first had to undress.

The town's people didn't even know what to gossip about this time, nothing about their ghost being a sane person with a life had ever crossed their mind previously. However it is not to be doubted that the best gossips in the town were weaving stories of the Ghost that would delight children for years to come.

When he came out he was grateful to find that Appa was already out there waiting for him. He gazed upon the bison with confusion...how on earth was he supposed to get on.

"Aang?" Zuko called up.

"Just climb, he'll kneel down for you," Aang replied, as if reading his mind. Appa did just as Aang said and knelt down for Zuko to climb on.

He climbed on and the group set off for an epic battle against Zhao. Soon after this Aangs eye's and arrows began to glow faintly, then in the blink of an eye he crossed over to the spirit world.

* * *

_May I say I am truly sorry for the long wait I have put everyone through, I could blame a lot of things but I won't. I was lazy, I will admit it. _

_This fan fiction if reaching its peak so this will go on a few more chapters, then there will be a sequel. This sequel will be put out as soon as I am nearly done with my other Avatar story, wheelchair bound. I've found that I can't handle more than one or two writing projects at once( as clearly evidenced by the agony I have put you through). I have also noticed that I am developing a different style, just to warn you.  
_


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone, I will not be updating for a while. This is goes for every story, my the computer is pretty much dead. It is an epic battle to try and get the internet to work, our firewall is scanning spastically and causing more problems than the Trojans that "just seem to make it through" undetected until the scans, and it's so slow that I have eaten dinner and it's still trying to load a page. This is a clear sign that I should back up all my files.

I do have backups for every piece of writing(except for this one) so nothing is lost yet, and I have been making a secondary backup with e-mail.

I have decided to use this as an opportunity to preach something to you, BACK UP EVERYTHING YOU WRITE IN E-MAIL! It will never crash, and you can work on your stories when your not on your home computer. Save every five minutes, or any time you have written a large amount.

If this post looks demented in any way then it is because of my computer.


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